Whiplash is a common injury, affecting over two million Americans per year. Simply put, whiplash is a neck injury that happens when the neck is quickly and forcefully snapped forward and then backward, like the action of a whip.
How It Happens
Auto accidents are a leading cause of whiplash. Still, it can also happen from a trip or fall, physical abuse, or sports such as football, gymnastics, boxing, horseback riding, ice skating, snowboarding, or skiing, to name a few. You can ease some of the anxiety around this type of injury by learning about its causes, symptoms, and treatments.
What Happens to the Body
Whiplash can result in the overstretching of ligaments, muscles, and joints in the neck and upper back. In more severe cases, whiplash damages proprioceptors, the sensory receptors in the body that tell the brain where the body is in space.
Following a whiplash injury, a person could experience a type of muscle spasm called “splinting” when the muscles around an injured ligament contract to prevent additional injury. The severest cases of whiplash can result in nerve and disc damage.
Those suffering from whiplash may experience a whole host of symptoms, including headaches, blurred vision, difficulty focusing, a “pins and needles” sensation, stiff neck, dizziness, trouble sleeping, ringing in the ears, pain in the neck, arm, back or shoulders, and in the worst cases, depression. The acuteness of the symptoms depends on the severity of the injury.
What To Do
The chiropractic clinic can offer a conservative and natural approach to treating whiplash injuries and promoting healing. Each client requires a personalized approach, as treatment will vary depending on how the damage happened and the type of symptoms a person is experiencing.
A chiropractic adjustment helps to reestablish flexibility—or joint mobility–following a whiplash injury. Addressing joint mobility restores the correct functioning of the nervous system, allowing it to send messages from the brain to the rest of the body, which promotes the neck’s healing.
Restoring flexibility also relieves stress and tension from any injured muscles, tendons, and ligaments. A chiropractic adjustment can also stimulate proprioceptors in the joint so that the body can interpret external cues and accurately locate itself.
Treatment at the chiropractic clinic can also restore optimal lymphatic flow. The lymphatic system helps the body rid itself of damaged cells, toxins, and waste, thus aiding the healing process.
In addition to performing adjustments, our Atlanta chiropractors may also suggest measures that a client can take at home, including modifying activities, applying ice, stretching, and performing other exercises.
Accelerate The Healing Process; Call AICA Atlanta Today
Educating yourself about your options for treating whiplash can alleviate the stress of the injury and start you on the path to recovery. It’s possible to heal from whiplash with minimal medical intervention.
The body is, by design, made to be self-healing. The chiropractors at AICA Atlanta can accelerate this process. If you suffer from whiplash, call (404) 889-8828 to schedule an appointment.